Not Always What It Seems
by dangerous stories
Summary: Sarah comes home from the Labyrinth with much more than she bargained for. She's showing up positive on a pregnancy test, even though she shouldn't be pregnant. Is this some kind of Goblin trick?Now she's having to deal with Karen trying to ruin her life, AND a Goblin King who'll stop at nothing to claim her as his. How will she escape? Can she survive? J/S Rated T (Never M)
1. Chapter 1

Pregnant? Sarah read the slip of paper, sinking into her chair in the doctor's office. Pregnant, she read it again. The medical report was clear, but the Labyrinth Champion was anything but.

"Really, Sarah," Karen cut her off. "What were you thinking?" The perfectly manicured woman sat in the other leather chair in Dr. Akbar's private office. "What will your father say! What will the neighbors think!" Karen scrunched her face. "What will preacher John say?" she whispered under her breath.

"This is wrong!" Sarah stood up, waving the paper in the air.

"Sit down."

Sarah dropped back into her chair, more because she felt faint than because of her stepmother's order.

"Karen, you've got to believe me. The doctor's office made a mistake."

"No." Dr. Akbar stepped into his office, carrying a file. "I'm afraid there's no mistake, young lady." The older man stepped behind his desk, set his file down, and took a seat. "You can't keep anything down. You fainted in your P.E. class. And..." he paused, "I ran a second test from your blood sample to be sure there was no mix up." The white haired man straightened his glasses. "Wouldn't want to make a mistake on such a delicate topic," he added. "You, my dear child, are pregnant."

"But I haven't done anything!" she objected. "I don't even have a boyfriend!"

"Oh?" Karen piped up. "Then whose voice have I heard in your room?" She scowled. "And don't tell me you were reading a play, Sarah. You can't make your voice sound like that."

Sarah frowned. She knew Karen had overheard Hoggle and Sir Dydimus last week, when she'd come home early from her lady's luncheon. Sarah had barely gotten her friends back through the mirror before her stepmother had practically broken down the door. So now, Karen thought Sarah had been up to something with an imaginary boyfriend in her bedroom, and there was nothing Sarah could say to defend herself.

"But I didn't do anything," the champion's voice was softer. "It's not fa," Sarah choked back the words. She'd almost said it. She'd almost said, it wasn't fair.

"Two weeks," Dr. Akbar spoke up. "If what you said about your last cycle is accurate, then you became pregnant about two weeks ago." He leaned forward in his seat. "I need you to think back, Miss Williams. Did you go to any parties, were you drinking, or did you wake up in a strange place with no memory of how you got there?"

Two weeks, thought Sarah. Two weeks. The champion's eyes widened. Her mouth dropped open. Thirteen days. It had been thirteen days since she'd made it back from the Labyrinth, thirteen days since she'd saved Toby, and thirteen days since she'd eaten that drugged peach. Oh, crap!

"Ah ha!" Karen saw the look of recognition on her stepdaughter's face. "Now, you realize. And I'll tell you what happened two weeks ago. You were home alone with Toby. Weren't you! But you weren't really alone. You invited someone over."

What could Sarah say? How could she explain? If she even tried, she'd end up in a mental hospital. She knew it. Besides, Karen was right in a sense. Sarah had, albeit unintentionally, invited someone over, the Goblin King. Devastation crept through Sarah's limbs, and her eyes dropped to the floor.

Could he really have taken advantage? During her whole trip through his maze, the tyrant hadn't so much as laid a finger on her. Could he really be so mean as to... "I can be cruel," Sarah remembered his words. She swallowed.

"Miss Williams," the doctor drew her attention. "If any laws were broken, if this pregnancy wasn't caused by consensual action, I can offer you these." He handed Sarah a medicine bottle. "You're still early enough in your first term to end the unwanted pregnancy." The older man adjusted his glasses once more. "There will be some cramping and what-not, but this medicine should resolve the issue." He leaned back in his seat. "A police report will have to be filed. But the paperwork is pretty simple."

Unwanted pregnancy? Sarah looked at the bottle she held.

"Yes," Karen spoke up quickly. "We'll take the pills."

"No." Sarah set the bottle down on the doctor's desk.

"Sarah, take the pills. We don't need a rape-baby to..."

"A what!" Sarah nearly shouted. She clenched her jaw. "That's not fair!" None of this was the baby's fault.

"Stop being dramatic," Karen was ready to be done with this. "Just take the prescription, and we'll talk about this when we get home. We'll see about counseling too," she added her afterthought.

"I'm not being dramatic!"

"Ladies," the doctor broke up the argument before it could get started. "I realize this is a delicate topic, and it seems the two of you have a lot to discuss." He turned his attention directly toward Sarah. "But I would suggest, Miss Williams, you listen to what your mother has to say."

"Stepmother," Sarah corrected.

"Pardon me?"

"She's not really my mom."

"Ah." Dr. Akbar gave Karen a sympathetic look. "That _does_ make things a little more difficult then, doesn't it."

"You have no idea," Karen complained.

Sarah frowned, suddenly feeling like the outsider in a conversation about her and her future. It's no longer my future, she thought. It's the baby's future. Sarah stopped hearing the conversation going on without her. She could feel all her dreams slipping away. Her plans to backpack across Europe when she was older, her dreams of going off to college, living in the dorms, becoming an actress, studying ancient mythology, falling in love, everything felt like it was slipping away. How could she do any of it, if she was busy being a mother? Even if she found someone to fall in love with, this child, the Goblin King's child, would never truly belong to her future husband. Just like Sarah would never truly belong to Karen. The champion swallowed. Her life was ruined.

Sarah eyed the bottle on the doctor's desk. She could see the appeal. A quick swallow of a couple of pills, and this nightmare could be over. She could have her dreams back. But no. Sarah couldn't do that. She couldn't take a life in order to get her dreams. That would be like... Well... It would be like giving Toby to the Goblin King for one of his magic crystals. It would be cruel.

 _I'm not like him_ , Sarah told herself. _I'm not cruel. I'm... I'm fair._ The frown Sarah had been wearing softened into a smile. _I'm a fair maiden_ , she thought. And I'll have my dreams. But I'll get them through hard work not by taking advantage, certainly not by murdering a baby.

"Dr. Akbar." Sarah addressed him. She sat up majestically in her seat, imagining she was a queen speaking to those beneath her. Her smile widened. Sarah had made her decision. "My baby," she began, feeling her voice falter, and nearly choking on her words. She cleared her throat. "I have decided this child shall live."

"Sarah, you're too young to understand how much work taking care of a baby is, let alone a ra..."

"I take care of Toby all the time!" She cut off her stepmother, not wanting to here that nasty word again.

"Sarah, let me finish."

Oh, how she hated it when Karen used that tone.

"Like the doctor just said, suffering a pregnancy before you're even twenty can be dangerous. So, as your legal guardian, I'm making the choice here."

Sarah's eyes widened. Oh, no! "It was consensual!" Sarah looked at the doctor. "No crime was committed," she told him quickly.

"Really?" Karen countered. "Then who's your boyfriend."

"I'm not telling you that," Sarah didn't back down.

"Mrs. Williams," the doctor addressed Sarah's stepmother, "could I speak with your daughter alone for a minute?"

Karen closed her mouth, swallowed down what she'd been about to say, and nodded. The perfect strawberry blond stood up. "I'll be just outside the door."

The moment Karen left, Sarah could feel the tension drain out of the room. She let out a quiet sigh in relief.

"This is a prescription for prenatal vitamins," the doctor scribbled as he spoke. He handed her the slip of paper. "And this is a good book on what to expect for first time mothers." He gave her the book. "It's very important that you study that."

"Thank you." Sarah took the book, noticing how surreal everything felt, how a few minutes could make all the difference in the world.

"I also need to see your boyfriend."

"Wh... Why?" Sarah wondered.

"We'll need to get a blood sample to make sure there won't be any rh factor issues with the pregnancy."

"rh factors?" she questioned.

"MmHm." The doctor leaned forward. "If your blood type is negative, and your boyfriend's blood type is positive, you could become allergic to the fetus' blood. This can cause serious illness, brain damage, or even death." Dr. Akbar leaned back, waiting for the information to sink in. "I'll need to see him as soon as ..."

"That's not really possible," Sarah whispered under her breath.

"Why not?" Apparently, Dr. Akbar had excellent hearing.

How was she supposed to answer him. There was no way she was going to tell him the truth. If she didn't give him a name, he'd think... Well, everyone would think horrible things about the baby for the rest of its life. And if she gave him a name, he'd want to talk to the boy.

"Sarah." His look softened. "Do you really have a boyfriend?"

"I..." She grimaced. "He's gone," she told him.

"Gone?"

"He's... He's not in the country anymore."

"So he's a foreigner?"

"Um, yeah."

The doctor nodded. "Alright, we'll have to run a few test to make sure you're alright on your next appointment." He stood up. "I'll need to see you in about a month." Dr. Akbar handed Sarah the file he was holding. "You can take this to the front desk to schedule the appointment. But if you're finding you still can't hold anything down after another day or two, make sure you call me."

"Thank you." Sarah turned to leave. Just as she stepped out, she heard the doctor call Karen in. Instead of going to the front desk, Sarah waited by the doctor's door. She didn't know when Karen would be available for the next appointment, so she decided to wait in a nearby chair. The Labyrinth Champion absentmindedly started thumbing through the file Dr. Akbar had given her, and wondered what Karen and the doctor were talking about. "Probably what a horrible child I am," Sarah muttered.

She glanced at one of the pages in her file, reading standard information, weight, height, birthday, blood pressure, blood type. Wait. Blood type? Sarah stared at the piece of paper in hand. B positive. She read it again. Sarah's blood type was B positive. She pressed her lips together. Hadn't Dr. Akbar said the baby would only be in danger if HER blood was negative and Jareth's blood was positive? _Maybe_ , Sarah thought. Maybe the danger is there any time a mother and father have opposite blood types. Maybe it's...

"Oh, forget this," Sarah muttered. She had to know. She pulled out her phone, and googled it. Within minutes, Sarah knew everything she needed to know about the dangers of rh factors. And she knew, KNEW, the doctor had been trying to manipulate her. The only time the baby would be in danger was if the mother had a negative blood type. But Dr. Akbar knew Sarah's blood was B positive. He'd been trying to scare her into revealing who the baby's father was.

"What a jerk," Sarah whispered to herself. She tried to clear the sudden knot forming in her throat. How could he do that? Wasn't this hard enough already? She didn't know what was going to happen, what it would be like to be pregnant, how labor and delivery would feel, how would she know she was in labor, or how she was going to manage everything while still going to school. But now she knew she couldn't trust her doctor.

Sarah ran a hand across her face. "Maybe I'm taking this for granted," she told herself. "Maybe it only seems like I can't trust him. Maybe he just didn't read my blood type, or... or..."

The champion stood up. She quietly moved closer to the doctor's door, and pressed her ear against the wood. She listened.

"I bet it was that exchange student the Snyders took in," Karen told the doctor. "Sarah was always talking with him. And I heard he was sent home after taking advantage of the Scottsdale girls, and Patty Anderson."

What is she talking about? Sarah wondered. Liam hadn't taken advantage of anyone. He was the shyest boy she'd ever met, thin and gangly. Any time he'd even try to talk to a girl, he'd freeze up. That's why Sarah had been so friendly with him. Besides, she thought to herself, he went home three weeks ago.

"Uh-hum," someone cleared their throat.

Sarah turned around to see a nurse giving her a disapproving look.

"Can I help you with something?" she asked. "Can I show you to the front desk?"

xxx

xxx

Author's notes:

1\. I don't own Labyrinth

2\. I don't know if I'll continue this, but we'll see what happens.

3\. Pregnancy: Remember, things are not always what they seem.


	2. Chapter 2: Fair

Sarah sat in the passenger side of Karen's Mercedes, letting her hand catch and play with the wind the movement of the car created just outside her window. _How am I going to do this?_ Sarah asked herself. _I'm going to miss everything_. She tried to swallow the knot in her throat when she thought about prom. Instead of the beautifully elegant dress she'd always imagined, the only thing she'd be wearing would be a maternity dress. _If I even go at all_ , Sarah finished her thought. She frowned a little more, and shifted her attention to the power lines flying by.

She loved watching the power lines when someone was driving. She imagined what it would be like if she could run across the tiny threads, sliding across them like she was skating or skiing. Sarah imagined jumping over other power lines when they got in the way, moving her hand as though it was her imagined body.

 _It's not fair_ , Sarah told herself, her thoughts turning back to her situation. _But that's the way it is_ , she repeated the lesson she'd learned in the Labyrinth. There was no way out of this. What's done is done.

 _What's done is done?_ _Good grief. I sound like HIM!_ The Champion took a deep breath _._

 _My baby_ , she thought. Yeah, this whole situation wasn't fair. It wasn't fair to her. It wasn't fair to her baby. And it definitely wasn't fair that the Goblin King wasn't getting any consequences. _He should be locked in an oubliette_ , thought Sarah. _Or made to run from The Cleaners for hours everyday, or..._ Sarah paused. _I'd bog him_ , she thought. _That's it. I'd hang him over The Bog of Eternal Stench twelve -no... thirteen hours a day. That's fair._

"Sarah!" Karen almost shouted. "Are you even listening to me!" She made a disgusted noise. "Head in the clouds," she complained. "You haven't heard a word I've said. If you think we're done discussing this, young lady, you have another thing coming. What kind of influence will this have on your brother? Do you even care?"

Sarah didn't look at her stepmother. "Why does everything have to be about Toby," she muttered, frowning a little more.

"You've never been responsible!" Karen continued. "Never had to deal with consequences. Ugh! Always late for everything. Never willing to help out. Eavesdropping when you think we don't notice."

Sarah stared harder out the window. She'd had just about all she could take today. She knew Karen knew she'd been listening back at the doctor's office. She knew the nurse had gone back to tell her and the doctor she'd been listening in after escorting Sarah to the front desk. And she knew Karen wasn't going to let this go. But the Champion of the Labyrinth, defeater of the mighty Goblin King, was reaching her emotional limit.

"Well, you're getting consequences now, aren't you," Karen went on. "How much did that doctor's visit cost you?" The thirty year old woman lifted her head a little higher. "Do you have any babysitting money left?" She was proud she thought of having Sarah pay for her own medical expenses.

 _Eighteen_ , thought Karen. She was supposed to be done paying for Robert's daughter when she turned eighteen. Sarah was supposed to move out. Getting stuck paying for Robert's illegitimate grandchild was **not** part of the deal. Besides, family insurance never paid for teen pregnancies. It was only fair Robert's daughter had to pay for her own mistakes.

Sarah clenched her jaw. She knew Karen understood she'd been working and saving that money all summer to pay for her orchestra trip. And now that she was having a baby, the orchestra trip might be the last time she was able to have any real fun. Besides, it's not like Karen couldn't afford it. She was always spending money.

"Having a baby will cost you a lot," Karen continued. "You'll have to get a job, a real job. Because I'm not going to short Toby's needs to pay for a bastard."

"A bastard?!" Sarah stared at her stepmother.

"That's what illegitimate babies are called, Sarah."

 _Bastard?! How dare she..._ Anger surged through the High School student. Sarah slammed her hand down on the car door as hard as she could.

CRACK! The nearest power-pole splintered, landing in front of the car. Karen screamed, slamming on her brakes. Sarah shrieked, covering her baby. The pole's transformer exploded into a volcano of sparks, letting the whole world know how dangerous it was.

POP! POP! POP! Each power pole connected to the one that went down began to pop in succession, sending showers of sparks down the streets in both directions. Sounds of screams, honking horns, and even a crash could be heard from the next block over. Sarah and Karen sat perfectly still. No one spoke. No one breathed.

"Don't... Don't touch the car door, Sarah," Karen finally broke the silence. "We don't know if it's safe. The power lines could be touching the car." She whipped out her cell phone, and dialed 911.

"All circuits are busy..."

Karen hung up, and dialed again. With a sound like something off of a SciFi movie, her phone went dead. The car's battery died. And every electronic device in the area shut down.

Sarah stared out the front window at the devastation. Hesitantly, she looked at her hand. _Did I do this?_ she wondered in horror. _Was that... Was that magic?_

CLICK. CLICK. CLICK. Sarah looked over at Karen trying to start the car. But that's not what held the Champion's attention. What caught her eye was a dark figure...no... several dark figures. They were moving, jumping across the roofs of the nearby shops. And they were headed toward the Mercedes.

"I... I... Karen?" Sarah unbuckled her seat belt. "We need to get out."

"What? No. We're not leaving."

The Champion unbuckled her stepmother. "We need to go. Now!"

"Sarah Williams!" Karen started, but Sarah didn't wait. She opened her car door, bolted around the vehicle, and opened the driver's side door.

"Hurry! Before the electricity comes back on," the Champion came up with the excuse. She looked back toward the roofs. The creatures were coming closer!

Karen pursed her lips, exited the vehicle, and gave her stepdaughter a stern look. "Sarah," she started in that voice.

"C'mon." Sarah took her hand, and tugged.

But Karen pulled back.

"Look!" Sarah pointed at the dark figures.

The manicured woman looked at the roofs. "What?" she shook her head. "Sarah, what's wrong with you."

"You... You don't see them?"

"See what?"

Sarah glanced back and forth between Karen and the creatures. What could she do? What could she say?

"Um." The Champion's heart started pounding. "Birds!" she shouted out. "There were a whole bunch of birds. And you know how birds can tell when there's going to be an earthquake. Well, they..."

"Sarah, you're not making sense."

Ugh! she internally groaned. "Come on!" She grabbed hold of Karen's hand, and started running, dragging her stepmother away from the danger as fast as she could.

"Sarah!" Karen's high healed shoes clipped on the side walk. "Sarah, stop!"

"No! We can't."

Karen tried to pull back, but her heals gave her stepdaughter the advantage.

"This way." Sarah didn't slow down. They turned a corner, running down a new street.

"Sarah Williams!"

"Just trust me." Sarah glanced back, noticing the dark figures had changed direction. There was no mistake. Whatever they were, they were coming for her.

xxx

xxx

Author's notes:

1\. I don't own Labyrinth.

2\. Thank you so much for all the comments, follows, and even favorites. I had no idea anyone would be interesting in this. And I have to warn you. I have no idea where this story is going. I'm just writing for fun, so we'll see what happens. Ha ha!


	3. Chapter 3: Mistakes in Conversations

Sarah ran harder, pulling her stepmother with all her strength. They ran down one street, through an alleyway, and around a corner. The Champion felt her heart pounding. She heard her stepmother's shouts. And she saw how the edges of her sight were starting to darken. Sarah felt faint.

"Ahh!" Karen shouted and stumbled. "You broke my shoe!"

The teenager stopped dragging Karen, and looked around the area. Through cloudy vision Sarah glanced back at Karen. She blinked several times, noticing how the thirty year old was hobbling on her broken heal.

"We can't," Sarah panted. "We can't run fast enough," she whispered. The Champion looked in the direction of the shadows. Even through her hazy sight, she could tell they were coming faster. _We need to hide. But where?_ She searched the area.

"Do you have any idea how much these shoes cost!" Karen was livid.

"Yeah," Sarah panted out, "more than a doctor's visit."

"Sarah Williams, don't you start." Karen let out a yelp when Sarah pulled her into a narrow alley between two Mom & Pop stores. There was barely enough room for a small garbage truck to access the city dumpster at the other end.

"Karen, if we don't be quiet..." The High School student froze.

Standing in front of them in the narrow alleyway was a tall cloaked man surrounded by four very dark, very menacing looking goblins. Sarah noticed how their sharp teeth glinted in the light, how their claws were jagged and well used. She noticed how the man standing in front of them stood just as the Goblin King had in her parent's room thirteen days ago. His arms were crossed, head held high with an air of authority. But instead of gravity defying blond hair, his angular face was framed with black shoulder length even strands.

The Champion was frozen, unable to process how she'd managed to run into the group she was running away from. Rustling drew Sarah's attention. She turned around to see a hoard of even more terrifying goblins block their escape.

"Enough, Sarah," Karen objected. "What has gotten into you today!" She started dusting off her dress slacks as if the run had somehow covered her in dirt. "I won't put up with this behavior." She bent down to fuss with the broken heal on her very expensive dress shoes, but didn't stop talking. "We're going back to the car."

"Well, well, well," spoke the dark haired man, ignoring Sarah's stepmother. "Who do we have here?" He stepped forward, unfolding his arms, letting his dark cape drape behind him.

Sarah stepped back.

"Do you fear me?" He smirked.

"No," Sarah lied. Her insides felt like jello, making her feel even more faint.

"Pity," he muttered

"Don't argue with me, Sarah." Karen had no idea her stepdaughter had been speaking to the magical creature standing in front of her. "We're going back to the car."

"Lady Champion." The dark caped man bowed slightly. "I am Rotirus, emissary of his Majesty, Jareth, King of the Goblins. The Great and Powerful Goblin King has requested your presence."

"N...no." Sarah shook her head. She swallowed, standing a little taller. "Request denied."

"Request denied?!" Karen screeched. "Oh! When we get home, you are **so** grounded. No friends. No tv. No phone. No internet. And... and you're paying for these shoes. Just wait until I tell your father about this."

"Perhaps I should be more careful with my words, Lady Champion." Rotirus began circling the two women.

Sarah mirrored his movements. Which made Karen the center of their circle. The thirty year old woman had to turn on the spot to keep facing her stepdaughter.

"I should have said His Majesty, The Great and Powerful Goblin King," Rotirus corrected, " ** _commands_** your presence... right now." He snapped his fingers.

Sarah's breath caught. Her world was spinning. She was fighting to stay on her feet. But...Nothing happened. No magic. No transportation. Nothing. The world spinning had nothing to do with magic, and everything to do with Sarah's delicate situation. She steadied herself, refusing to faint.

Rotirus looked at his hand, confusion crossing his face. "Right NOW!" He repeated his magic words, snapping his fingers with much more force.

A tiny smile touched Sarah's lips. "He has no power over me," she realized out loud. It was the only thing that made sense. The Goblin King had no power over her. Ha!

Karen began to splutter.

Rotirus's eyes widened.

"Master," one of the cloaked goblins spoke up, "perhaps this is why the King's bounty on her head is so high. If Underground magic has no claim on her..."

"Your father has no power over you?!" Karen interrupted, misunderstanding what Sarah had meant.

"Then the usual means of claiming won't work." Rotirus finished the goblin's statement, keeping his eyes locked on Sarah as he spoke. "No wonder the King didn't come for you himself," he addressed the fugitive. "No matter," he announced. "There are other ways of claiming those from the Above." With one fluid movement Rotirus drew out a long silver sword, and pointed it at his quarry.

"Maybe you won't be getting your driver's license," Karen threatened.

All the color drained from Sarah's face. She couldn't even think about what her stepmother was saying right now. All she could see was the danger in front of her, the danger standing right behind the woman she so often hated.

"Do you fear me now, Champion?"

She didn't speak. Sarah didn't know what to do. This wasn't one of her stories. It wasn't a fairytale in a book, or a fantasy movie. This was real. The goblins were real. This bounty hunter was real. And so was his very shiny, very dangerous, very sharp-looking sword. Sarah started breathing faster. This was worse than when she'd run through the goblin city. At least then she had friends to help her. She had places to hide, and places to run. Here, she was surrounded. She was out in the open, exposed. And she was alone. Karen was no help.

"Master," a smaller cloaked goblin stepped forward, "the warrant was specific, sir. King Jareth wants her alive."

"Oh, I'm well aware," Rotirus answered his goblin. He smirked, stepped forward, and brought his sword close to Karen's neck. "Shall we make a bargain, Lady Champion?" The bounty hunter waited for the reality of the situation to sink in.

Sarah swallowed, staring at the sword. She looked into Karen's eyes. She'd never cared for the bossy old bat. She was a thorn in Sarah's side from the moment she'd come into her life. But Sarah didn't want to see her die. She was Toby's mom. And her father loved her.

"What do you want?" Sarah asked Rotirus.

"I want you to behave yourself," Karen answered. "Do as you're told."

Rotirus smiled, glancing down at the woman who'd spoken. "If you wish yourself away to the Goblin King right now, Lady Champion, I will spare her life," he answered.

Sarah frowned. If it was just her life, if it was only trading herself for Karen, then maybe, maybe she'd think about it. But the girl who'd beaten the Labyrinth had more to think about than herself. She had to think about her baby. If Sarah wished herself away, she'd be wishing her baby away too. Her little one would grow up in the Underground, probably as a goblin under Jareth's thumb. _If he got to grow up at all_ , she thought.

But how could she sacrifice one life for another? How could she sacrifice Karen for her child? _And what's the guarantee he wouldn't just take me to the Underground after he kills Karen?_ Sarah questioned. _Wait._

The Champion's eyes met the bounty hunter's. "You can't force me," Sarah understood. "That's why you're threatening me. You don't have any real power here." The Champion stood a little taller. Even when she went to the Underground to save her brother, Sarah had walked through the doorway of her own free will. "And you don't have any authority to kill her either." The student knew arguing with him was a risk. "You have to trick me into agreeing with you."

"Sarah," Karen groaned out. "I'm not some wicked stepmother from a fairy story! I'm not trying to trick you! I'm the good guy here! I only want what's best for my family... and for you. You're not ready to be a mother. You'd never get to move out, travel the world. Ending your pregnancy is the best choice here."

"Pregnant?" For a long minute Rotirus stared at Karen, his mouth slightly ajar. "Pregnant," he whispered. The bounty hunter's eyes moved back toward his quarry. "You are with child," he wasn't asking.

Sarah felt a chill run up her spine. The temperature in the area dropped. In a flash Rotirus's blade was at her throat. She was pressed up against the brick wall, and the bounty hunter was far too close.

"Who is the father?" Rotirus asked his question.

"Sarah, are you alright?" Karen seemed more surprised than concerned. "Are you still feeling faint?"

"I..." She ignored Karen. But Sarah didn't dare ignore Rotirus. "I don't know."

The bounty hunter leaned in even closer. He took a deep breath, inhaling her scent. Sarah's heart rate sped up. Her hands started to shake. She could feel the cold silver at her throat. She felt grateful it kept Rotirus from getting any closer, but terrified he might let the blade slip.

"I'm calling an ambulance," Karen piped up, trying her phone again. "We never should have left Dr. Akbar's office." She still had no signal.

"Jareth," Rotirus exhaled the name. He lowered the sword, letting it rest across Sarah's middle. He took her chin in hand, and stared into her eyes. "A human with the Goblin King's child, but unmarked, unclaimed." The hunter's frown turned into a dark grin. "I think you're about to find out how much power I truly have."

xxx

xxx

Author's notes:

1\. I don't own Labyrinth

2\. Thank you for all the feedback. That was awesome.


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